Romanian Govt To Punish Homeowners Who Refuse To Repair Their Degraded Buildings

The work must be done either on the homeowner's own initiative or at the request of local authorities.

This obligation will not apply to buildings which have undergone technical inspections and were considered to have a high seismic risk, or to buildings which have been thermally rehabilitated or are pending thermal rehabilitation, according to a draft ordinance obtained by MEDIAFAX.

The owner will have six months to carry out the "intervention work" from the moment they receive a notice from local authorities. The deadline can be extended by two months, but only with the mayor's consent, issued on the basis of a technical expertise note and depending on the project's nature and size. Building owners will be compelled to allow the work to be supervised by foremen or specialized consultancy firms.

The repair work shall be financed exclusively by the building owner, except when the owner proves their income is below the net monthly average salary, in which case the local authority shall step in to cover the cost, fully or partially, from the local budget.

Should the owner refuse to carry out the work or to allow access into the building, the mayor will put forward a local council decision whereby the work would be performed anyway and the money would be obtained later from the owner, through a court order.

Owners who do not observe this obligation, or do so improperly, shall be fined between 2,000 and 10,000 lei (EUR1=RON4.2529) and may even face a prison sentence in case of material destruction or serious harm done to people.

The owner will be exempt from paying the year's property tax on the building undergoing rehabilitation, if the work is self-financed.

The buildings which require such work must be determined by mayors 90 days after the draft ordinance enters force, at the latest.

In the document, the government argues that given the increasing frequency of violent meteorological phenomena and the age of current buildings, there is a "worrying" rising trend of serious accidents caused by collapsing building elements, which endanger public safety because of their "advanced level of deterioration."

The document also says degraded buildings negatively affect the architectural ambiance of urban areas, the quality of the environment and life in the community and decrease social, economic and tourist interested in the affected areas. In addition, the document argues, most such degraded buildings are located in central, historical areas with high population and tourist interest, thereby posing a high risk for the public.

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